Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu among top performers in NITI Aayog's Investment Friendliness Index

NITI Aayog released the "Investment Friendliness Index" report on Friday, providing a data-driven framework to benchmark investment ecosystems across all 28 states and eight Union Territories.

"Based on the overall assessment, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Odisha have emerged as the Top Performers in the Investment Friendliness Index," the government think tank said in a release.

The index evaluates investment attractiveness across eight pillars: infrastructure, business climate, resources, government policy, regulatory ease, institutional environment, financial health and environmental resilience. Its framework comprises 84 indicators, combining secondary data with perception-based measures from a survey of investors.

States and Union Territories have been divided into four categories based on their overall scores -- top performers, frontrunners, emerging performers and aspiring states. While five states were named top performers, 15 were classified as frontrunners. Eight states and Union Territories each were placed in the emerging performers and aspiring states categories.

Among large states, Gujarat secured the first rank, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Uttarakhand ranked first among hilly and North-Eastern states, followed by Assam and Himachal Pradesh. Goa led the city states and Union Territories category, followed by Delhi and Chandigarh.

"Beyond ranking performance, the IFI serves as a catalyst for reforms by identifying strengths, highlighting areas for improvement, promoting the adoption of best practices, and encouraging peer learning," the release said.

NITI Aayog said the index seeks to encourage states and Union Territories to undertake continuous reforms, strengthen India's competitiveness and attract greater domestic and foreign investment. (ANI)